Epidemiological study on healthy subjects affected by agriculture crop-residue burning episodes and its relation with their pulmonary function tests

• Published in: International journal of environmental health research Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 281 - 295
• Main Authors: Agarwal, Ravinder, Awasthi, Amit, Singh, Nirankar, Mittal, Susheel K., Gupta, Prabhat Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colchester Taylor & Francis 01.08.2013; Taylor & Francis LLC
• Subjects: 2.5; Adult; Age Factors; Agriculture - methods; agriculture crop-residue burning; Air; Air Pollution - analysis; Airborne particulates; Biological and medical sciences; Burns; Child; Comparative analysis; Crop residues; Crops, Agricultural; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Epidemiology; Female; high volume sampler; Human subjects; Humans; Lung diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Oryza sativa; Particle Size; particulate matter; Particulate Matter - analysis; pulmonary function test; Respiratory Function Tests; Soot - analysis; Soot - toxicity; spirometry; Toxicology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Triticum aestivum; Asia; India; Human; Spirometry; Proximity; Healthy subject; Toxicity; Patient; high volume sampler; Epidemiology; Burning; Coarse particle; Residential zone; Suspended particle; particulate matter; Lung function; Fine particle; Residue; agriculture crop-residue burning; Sampler; Aerosols; Air pollution; Agriculture; pulmonary function test; PM; Public health
• DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2012.733933
• ISSN: 0960-3123; 1369-1619

Impact of agriculture crop-residue burning (ACRB) was studied on pulmonary function tests (PFTs) of 50 healthy subjects (13-53 years). Human subjects with no previous history of lung disease were residents of five sampling sites. Investigations were carried out from February 2007 to January 2010 using spirometry. Simultaneously, concentration levels of suspended particulate matter (PM) and fine particulates (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) were monitored using high volume sampler and Anderson Cascade Impactor, respectively. The PFTs show a significant (p < 0.05) decrease, while PM shows momentous increase during exhaustive burning of wheat and rice crop residues. Effect of ACRB on the peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) is more than that on force expiratory flow (FEF 25-75% ). The PEF and FEF 25-75% recovered to some extent on completion of burning period, while PFTs like force vital capacity and force expiratory volume did not show a significant improvement. Due to greater concentration of fine particulates during rice crop-residue burning (CRB) than wheat CRB, there was a greater effect on pulmonary functions. The ACRB, in general, poses more effect on the lower and upper age groups in comparison to the middle age group subjects. All the analyses are well supported with large significant levels (p < 0.05) obtained by using the paired t-test.